FIGURE 10.

Representation of the key changes in the ovary with age. Prepubertally the ovary has a maximum endowment of follicles, with follicle growth present to early antral stages. After puberty, all stages of follicle development, ovulation, and corpora lutea are present. In later reproductive life, there is depletion of the primordial and growing follicle pool but ovulation continues until the menopausal transition. There is also an increasingly uneven distribution of primordial follicles with some clustering, and increasing fibrosis of the stroma affecting its mechanical properties. Image created with BioRender.com, with permission.